Strictly Come Dancing returned for its sixth series on 20 September 2008 on BBC One. Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly returned as co-presenters of the main show on BBC One, while Claudia Winkleman returned to present the spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two on BBC Two. Len Goodman, Arlene Phillips, Craig Revel Horwood, and Bruno Tonioli returned as judges.
The show featured sixteen celebrities paired with sixteen professional dancers. The new professionals were Brian Fortuna and Hayley Holt, who had previously appeared in the American and New Zealand versions of the show respectively, and Russian dancer Kristina Rihanoff, who had taken part in the Dancing with the Stars tour. Nicole Cutler was the only professional from the previous series not to return.
On 20 December 2008, actor Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup were announced as the winners, while S Club 7 singer Rachel Stevens and Vincent Simone finished in second place, and television presenter Lisa Snowdon and Brendan Cole finished in third.
Format
The couples dance each week in a live show. The judges score each performance out of ten. The couples are then ranked according to the judges' scores and given points according to their rank, with the lowest scored couple receiving one point, and the highest scored couple receiving the most points (the maximum number of points available depends on the number of couples remaining in the competition). The public are also invited to vote for their favourite couples, and the couples are ranked again according to the number of votes they receive, again receiving points; the couple with the fewest votes receiving one point, and the couple with the most votes receiving the most points.
The points for judges' score and public vote are then added together, and the two couples with the fewest points are placed in the bottom two. If two couples have equal points, the points from the public vote are given precedence. As with the previous series, the bottom two couples have to perform a dance-off on the results show. Based on that performance alone, each judge then votes on which couple should stay and which couple should leave, with Len Goodman, as head judge, having the last and deciding vote.
However, the situation was different on 13 December 2008, when it was announced on the live results show that all three couples would be going through to the finale, regardless of the judges' scores and the public vote. This was due to a tie at the top of the leaderboard, which made it mathematically impossible for Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup to avoid the dance-off. Despite this, viewers were encouraged to vote. All phone votes cast were carried on to the finale. Since then, the system has been modified, so that instead of having a traditional tie structure for points, such as 3–3–1 (as was the case here), the 3–3–2 system is now used. This ensures that each couple can mathematically avoid the bottom two.
Couples
This series featured sixteen celebrity contestants.
Scoring chart
The highest score each week is indicated in with a dagger (), while the lowest score each week is indicated in with a double-dagger ().
Color key:
Notes
Weekly scores
Unless indicated otherwise, individual judges scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Craig Revel Horwood, Arlene Phillips, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli.
Week 1
Musical guest: Bette Midler — "Wind Beneath My Wings"
Only half of the couples performed this week, and they performed either the cha-cha-cha or the waltz. The couples who did not compete this week performed a group cha-cha-cha that was not scored. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Judges' votes to save
Horwood: Phil & Flavia
Phillips: Phil & Flavia
Tonioli: Don & Lilia
Goodman: Don & Lilia (Since the other judges were not unanimous, Len Goodman, as head judge, made the final decision to save Don & Lilia)
Week 2
Musical guest: Sugababes — "Girls"
Only half of the couples performed this week, and they performed either the foxtrot or the salsa. The couples who did not compete this week performed a group merengue that was not scored. Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Judges' votes to save
Horwood: Jodie & Ian
Phillips: Jodie & Ian
Toniolil: Jodie & Ian
Goodman: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Jodie & Ian
Week 3
Musical guest: Andrea Bocelli — "Canto della Terra"